Gas Monkey Garage News

Dallas' celeb gas monkey Richard Rawlings revs up bar & grill in Sturgis

Richard Rawlings is revving up a new bar & grill.

Instagram

Colorful Dallas celebrity gearhead Richard Rawlings is opening a restaurant — but not in Dallas.

According to a release, Rawlings' automotive brand Gas Monkey Garage is putting down roots in Sturgis, South Dakota, with a new bar and grill called Gas Monkey Sturgis.

Rawlings is partnering on the concept with longtime friend Mike Sisk. The duo have gone through demolition, new construction, and complete renovation, and hope to get it open on August 2 — just in time for the first day of the 2024 84th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the annual tourism event that draws more than 500,000 attendees to the Black Hills region. Hoo boy, bet that's noisy.

According to Rawlings, this is not just a pop-up.

"We’re going to be open year-round with a full bar, breakfast, lunch and dinner, bringing the Gas Monkey experience to one of my favorite places in the Black Hills," he says. “Mike and I are committed to this community and invested in the future of Sturgis."

"We’re happy to be open in time for the rally, and we’re especially excited about next year’s big 85th and the even bigger 90th," he says. "[But] there's a lot going on in the Black Hills — not just the rally itself. Things start happening in May and go through until September until the first snow. They've got a lot of new developments, golf courses club houses — all kinds of things are happening."

That said, for the rally, they'll definitely have the bar with liquor, beer, and wine fully operational on opening day.

Food-wise, there will be a limited "rally menu" with breakfast, lunch, and dinner items, to ensure the utmost quality.

Sturgis-based executive chef Rick Balcom is creating a Texas Roadhouse-style menu that will have an emphasis on pizza and include burgers, sandwiches, salads, and chili, available year-round.

Unsurprisingly, limited-edition Gas Monkey Sturgis merchandise will be available for sale.

The venue will be located at 1025 Junction Ave., in a space that has been home to a pizzeria and two other short-lived bars over the past few years. It's advantageously positioned across the street from the Harley Davidson dealership, which becomes a huge hang during the rally, and a block away from the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame.

They're giving the space a Gas Monkey-style makeover, with found objects they've brought back to life. If you want to see an utterly mesmerizing video of beer bins being fabricated in their shop — including closeups of metal welding, sparks flashing, and the like — set to a soothing rock music backdrop, here's the link.

celebrities openings

Hummus News

Revered family-owned Mediterranean restaurant debuts in North Dallas

Samantha Marie Photography

Zon Zon food spread

An upscale Mediterranean restaurant is coming to North Dallas from a trusted name: Called Zon Zon, it'll open at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #130, in the Work/Shop center, and it's hospitality group Yela Concepts led by Yaser Khalaf (Darna, Baboush), together with his son Mak Khalef in their first collaboration.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

Named for Mak's sister Zaina (“Zon Zon”), the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with a refined take on Mediterranean dining, rooted in tradition but with modern influences.

"We tried to merge what embodies Mediterranean cuisine with dishes that people in Dallas love," Mak says. "A lot of the dishes we have on menu are Mediterranean but have American and Texan influences."

Mezze favorites include hummus topped with green shatta and extra-virgin olive oil; baba ghanoush with charred eggplant, tahini, dukka, and pomegranate; crispy cauliflower with saffron labneh; tuna neya with tahini, mixed pickles, and Aleppo pepper; and kibbeh with ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, and dill labneh.

Salads include seared tuna salad with freekeh and golden beets; Tahini Caesar with tahini–Caesar dressing and za’atar croutons; and roasted beets with burrata, oranges, and pistachios.

Entrées include roasted chicken with garlic-batata and pomegranate jus; chicken shish kebab over saffron rice with almonds and raisins; hanger steak shawarma frites — a clever twist on steak frites with hand-cut fries; ZZ’s Wagyu cheeseburger with smoked provolone and house pickles; Prime ribeye with za’atar chimichurri and heirloom carrots; and apricot lamb couscous.

The beverage program complements the menu with a Mediterranean-focused wine list and creative cocktails such as the coffee-kissed Midnight Istanbul and ZZ’s Margarita, with burnt pineapple and ras el hanout.

Designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Coeval Studios, the restaurant features a 2,130-square-foot interior with an expansive 735-square-foot patio that seats 76, for a total occupancy near 100.

The restaurant boasts an open kitchen, while decorative finishes include modern woodwork, rich textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired details — stylish yet inviting, with a setting that feels like home.

“The inspiration behind Zon Zon came from wanting to create the kind of place we’ve always wished existed — a neighborhood Mediterranean spot that feels both familiar and exciting - we wanted to create a comfortable space where guests can meet up with friends or neighbors on a regular basis,” says Yaser in a statement.

Mak went to college to sudy biomedical engineering, but says he couldn't resist the lure of the restaurant world in which he grew up.

"Zon Zon is a reflection of everything we love about food," Mak says. "What makes this especially meaningful is building it with my dad — bringing our family’s story and passion to the table."

openings